In a historic and unprecedented month, approximately 50,000 Venezuelan migrants illegally crossed the US-Mexico border last month. This is according to preliminary statistics from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), obtained by CBS News.
This monthly record of border crossings by Venezuelans contributed to a yearly high in unauthorized arrivals at the southern border in September. The figure represents about a quarter of the more than 200,000 apprehensions reported by the Border Patrol that month.
On some days, as many as 3,000 Venezuelan immigrants crossed illegally into the United States in just 24 hours, according to internal DHS figures cited by CBS News.
These massive arrivals of Venezuelans far surpassed the previous monthly record, set in September 2022, when nearly 34,000 migrants from Venezuela entered Border Patrol custody.
This amount also translates into both operational and political challenges for the Biden administration. Due to the Venezuelan government’s refusal to accept deportations from the United States, plus Mexico’s restrictions on receiving more Venezuelans, the majority of these migrants are being released from the border.
As reported by different media outlets and authorities from different states, the majority of these Venezuelans are heading to cities led by Democrats such as New York and Chicago, which are already facing pressure from the arrival of thousands of immigrants.
In fiscal year 2023, more than 2 million migrants were detained by the Border Patrol, exceeding a historic threshold, according to DHS reports broadcast by CBS News. Despite some returns and deportations, many migrants are released and allowed to apply for asylum, although these processes often take several years to complete.
The Biden administration runs out of options
Policies designed to deter Venezuelans from entering the United States illegally have not been successful, underscoring the magnitude of the exodus from Venezuela, the largest displacement crisis in the world.
Many of them have a dramatic route, crossing Central America, including the Darién Gap, a jungle shared by Colombia and Panama. In that sense, September was also a month of high records: Panamanian government officials told CBS News that 75,268 migrants crossed the Darien jungle, second only to the 82,000 crossings reported in August.
In an effort to address this situation, the Biden administration offered work permits and protections against deportation to nearly half a million Venezuelans who arrived before July 31.
Likewise, he announced a program so that Venezuelans who have a sponsor in the United States can fly to the country.
However, all this could be insufficient. Adam Isacson, a migration analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, told CBS News that the Biden administration’s options to stem the Venezuelan migratory flow to the United States are limited.
“They are in a bind. It’s the new normal. And there’s not much that can be done to block it along the migratory route,” Isacson said. “The numbers are greater than anything Mexico would accept. “You cannot deport them to Caracas, nor should you, because many of these people would be in danger,” the analyst told CBS News.
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